As a young believer, I was taught that psychiatric illnesses were primarily due to spiritual problems, not anything medical or genetic. Thus, spiritually-healthy Christians should never have these problems, and psychiatric interventions, such as medications, were unnecessary and invalid. Forty years later, many believers still have various levels of questions about the role of psychiatric treatment in the ministry of the Church. This workshop will give attendees a chance to get those questions addressed and, hopefully, answered. Three, 40-minute presentations will be followed by open questions.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
1. Understand how the brain works in relationship to other systems of the body
2. Describe the medical, genetic, and neurological difficulties that can cause behavioral problems
3. Define why and when medications may be helpful as part of the healing plan for a believer and distinguish how spiritual interventions and psychiatric interventions can conflict and/or complement each other